1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a switching device having two rotatable manipulating members which are positioned in parallel in the rotary axis direction.
2. Description of Related Art
With respect to a conventional switching device, the explanation is made by taking a power window switching device which performs opening/closing manipulation of a power window of an automobile as an example.
On a door at a drivers seat of an automobile, a power window switching device is mounted. This power window switching device is served for opening/closing operation of respective windows, namely a left-front window, a right-front window, a left-rear window and a right-rear window, for example.
As the above-mentioned manipulating member, there has been known a manipulating member which is configured to be rotatable in both of normal and reverse directions while sandwiching a neutral position between normal and reverse positions, wherein the manipulating member is rotated in the normal direction when the manipulating member is pushed in the front end side and is rotated in the reverse direction when the manipulating member is pushed in the rear end side.
Further, four manipulating members are arranged such that two manipulating members are arranged at a front row and remaining two manipulating members are arranged at a rear row. At the left side of the front row, the manipulating member for performing opening/closing operation of the left front window is arranged, while at the right side of the front row, the manipulating member for performing opening/closing operation of the right front window is arranged. These two manipulating members are arranged in parallel in the rotary axis direction. Further, at the left side of the rear row, the manipulating member for performing opening/closing operation of the left rear window is arranged, while at the right side of the rear row, the manipulating member for performing opening/closing operation of the right rear window is arranged. These two manipulating members are also arranged in parallel in the rotary axis direction in the same manner as the manipulating members in the front row.
In the conventional power window switching device, seesaw switches which are manipulated by the manipulating members are provided to respective manipulating members.
The seesaw switch includes a tilting contact which is tiltably mounted and have first and second movable contacts respectively at both ends, a first fixed contact with which the first movable contact is brought into contact or from which the first movable contact is separated, a second fixed contact with which the second movable contact is brought into contact or from which the second movable contact is separated, a third fixed contact with which a tilting center of the tilting contact always stays in contact, rotary members which are provided rotatably in the normal and reverse directions while sandwiching a neutral position therebetween and manipulate tilting contact, and restoring means which restores the rotary members to the neutral position.
Manipulating members are fixed to the above-mentioned rotary members. That is, when a front end side of the manipulating member is pushed, the rotary member is rotated in the normal direction from the neutral position, the tilting contact is manipulated by the rotary member, and the first movable contact and the first fixed contact are brought into contact with each other. Further, when a rear end side of the manipulating member is pushed, the rotary member is rotated in the reverse direction from the neutral position, the tilting contact is manipulated, and the second movable contact and the second fixed contact are brought into contact with each other.
Further, the conventional power window switching device is configured such that when the first movable contact of the seesaw switch and the first fixed contact are brought into contact with each other, a signal which initiates operation to open the window is outputted, while when the second movable contact and the second fixed contact are brought into contact with each other, a signal which initiates operation to close the window is outputted.
The conventional power window switching device having such a constitution is operated in the following manner.
When the front end side of the manipulating member is pushed, in the seesaw switch, the rotary member is rotated in the normal direction together with the manipulating member and hence, the tiling contact is manipulated so as to bring the first movable contact into contact with the first fixed contact. Due to such a contact, a signal to initiate the window opening operation is outputted from the power window switching device.
On the other hand, when the rear end side of the manipulating member is pushed, in the seesaw switch, the rotary member is rotated in the reverse direction from the neutral position together with the manipulating member and hence, the tiling contact is manipulated by the rotary member so as to bring the second movable contact into contact with the second fixed contact. Due to such a contact, a signal to initiate the window closing operation is outputted from the power window switching device.
When the manipulating member is no more pushed, that is, when the pushing force is released, the manipulating member returns to the neutral position by the restoring means together with the rotary member. Here, the window is stopped at a position where the application of a pressing force to the manipulating member is released.
In the above-mentioned conventional power window switching device, on respective pushing surfaces disposed at a front end side and a rear end side of the manipulating member, for example, displays which display the pushing surfaces are formed.
The displays are formed along a center line in the rotary axis direction of the manipulating member and have transparency. Further, in the vicinity of the displays on a back side of the manipulating member (assuming the pushing surface as a front side), illumination elements such as LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) are provided. These LEDs are held at given positions on the back side of the displays by terminals which are connected to a PCB (Printed Circuit Board). That is, the displays are designed to function as illuminators to show the position of the manipulating member when the inside of an automobile is dark.
Here, in a plane of projection of the manipulating member with respect to the PCB, a seesaw switch is mounted and a mounting space for the seesaw switch is overlapped to a plane of projection of the display with respect to the PCB. Accordingly, the above-mentioned terminals are arranged in a bent posture at positions away from a mounting space of a switch casing.
However, when bending working is applied to the terminals, there arises a drawback that the displacement of LEDs is liable to occur easily due to errors in the working. Accordingly, there has been a demand that the LEDs be mounted without providing the bending working to the terminal.